Electric lock



Sep 1925' J, E. STEPHENSON ELESlTRIC LOCK 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 25,1921 NVE TO 1, RNEY.

Sept. 1, 1925i 1,552,389

J. E. STEPHENSQN ELECTRIC LOOK Filed June 25, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mu i3 m; 5 d2 2 8 MN 2 m mm 3 8 m I. O R O O a O L i 1| E. w 5 I 1 aw 0 o 1.0 O

v v v 3 bn Qw mw m d2 2 m m: 8 5% mm m m mm mm 8 2 AN |u Sept. 1, 1925..

J. E. STEPHENSON ELECTRIC LOCK Filed June 25, 1921 m m t 4 Sheets-Sheet5 J a w 2 2 8 AM E 5 mm aw 5 in 3a 1 z A 13.1- & KOKD O "l .J I 1 Mm 5 UOm l om O a 3 mm Nm 3 mm z a? 3 I 8 "an Mm mm 6? mm wm Q on m 0 o I o 06 m O g w o 0 Q o O a 2 3 mm 3 mm Sept. 1, 1925. 1.55.2,389

J. E. STEPHENSON ELECTRIC-LOCK Filed June 25, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4PIC-1.11. 1 H612. 6 2 3 61 Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. STEPHENSON, 0F oonEszrER, NEwYoRx, ASSIGNOR 21 0' GENERALRAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF eATEs,'NEw YORK, A coRPoRATIoN 0 NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC LOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES E. STEPHENSON,

a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Locks, ofwhich the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to anelectrically operated lock for the levers ofmechanical interlocking machines of the type employing so-called leverlocking, that is, that type in which the movement of theleversthemselves operate the tappet bars of the me chanical interlockingbetween the levers.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide a simple andcompact design of an electrically operable lever lock which is strongenough to lock the lever directly, which includes a circuit controlleroperated in accordance with the movement of the lever so that it may beused to select signal circuits or govern the operation of ower operatedswitches and the like, in which the locking parts are forced intoengagement after each release, and which possesses various otherdesirable features and characteristics of devices of this character.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of alever lock which can be readily converted or adapted for use as a trackcircuit controlled lock for locking the lever in either the full normalor full reverse position, or both, or as an indication lock, or asacombined indication and track circuit'controlled lock.

Other specific objects and advantages of the invention will appearhereinafter as the description progresses.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to theaccompanying drawings, in which i g Figure 1 shows'one lever of awell-known type of. a mechanical interlocking machine,

' and illustrates the way in which the electric lock embodying myinvention may be connected to said lever;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view partly in-perspectiveillustrating the principal parts of the lock, and its manner ofconnection when controlled by a track circuit;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the device, some partsbeing shown lever.

V Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the device taken on the line 4-4 inFig. 3;

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are vertical transverse sections taken on the lines5'-5, 6+6, 7-7 and 88 respectively, of Fig. 3;

1 Figs. 9 and 10 show in elevation and plan respectively, an alternativeform of the lock releasing electro-magnet;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view of the locking plunger-provided with amodified form of dog and guide cam; a i

Fig. 12 is a detail section of the modified dog shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is across-sectional viewtaken on the line 1313 of Fig. 12,viewed in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary view of the locking plunger provided withanother modified form of guide cam;

Fig. 15 shows the device illustrated in Fig. 14 in the unlockedposition; and v Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic view, partly in perspective,showing how the electric lock may be used, both as a track circuitcontrolled lock and as an indication lock.

The electric lock employing the invention is particularly designed fordirect connection tothe lever of a mechanical interlocking machine ofthe type employing lever locking. In Fig. 31, I have shown a singlelever L of a well known type of mechanical interlocking machine,commonly known as the McKenzie and Holland machine, and have illustratedonetypical application of the lock embodying this invention to thisbolted tothe base timbers. The switch, facing point, lock, switch andlock movement,

signal, or derail, as the case may be, is connect'ed by a suitable pipeline, wires, or the like (not shown) to the tail piece 3 of the Thelever L is provided with the usual latch 4 operated by a handle 5 andengaging shoulders in the quadrant 6. The locking bed 7 is supported ona bracket 8, and the tappet 9 operated by the lever L is pivotallyconnected to the lower end of a cam lever 10 which is journaled on ashaft 11 running lengthwise of the machine. The

When the lever L is shifted from the nor-. mal position shown in Fig. 1,during the first part of its movement, the die 13 on the lever carrieswith it the upper end of the cam lever 10, raising this upper end andshifting the tappet 9 to the left. This movement of the tappet 9 causesthe primary locking of all conflicting levers in the well known manner.

As the lever is moved further, the die 13 slides out of the end portionof the Z-slot 12, and during the nextpart of the movement of the lever,the said d-ie slides in the curved part of the Z-slot without rockingthe cam lever 10. When the lever L is near the reverseposition, the die13Vengages the other end of the Z-slot 12 in the cam lever 10, raisingthe upper end of this cam lever nected to the tail piece 3 oi? thelever, or may be operatively connected to the lever in any mostexpedient. In the particular arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1, the lockis mounted on suitable floor beams 14 above the locl-;- ing bed 7, andis connected to an intermedb ate point of the lever by a rod 15.however, may be mounted vertically and conother suitable way in suchmanner that it constrains movement of the lever at the de-.

sired points in its stroke. r

The lock comprises in general a main frame or casing F formed ofcounter-part side plates 16 which have integral therewith base portionsand which are bolted together by suitable bolts '17, as shown in Fig. 5.These side plates 16, when bolted together, 'jorin a longitudinalguiding slot in which is .slidably mounted a. locking plunger P. The

intermediate portion of this locking .plunger ,1 is provided with acut-away portion into which a dog 18 1s counter-sunk, and fastenedthereto by machine screws on other suitable fastening means. Fastened tothe. locking plunger P directly over the dog is: a guide cam 19 havingthe inside edges beveled or inclined as shown so as to force a lockbolt, to be described hereinafter, into locked posi tion On each side ofthe locking plunger P the side plates 16 are provided with recesses inwhich is guided a U-shaped lockbolt B straddling the locking plun er andpositioned under the guide cam or retainer 19. This bolt B when downprevents the locking plunger]? from moving farther than to the dog 18mounted thereon.

The lock,

The lock bolt B is raised by a double angle lever 20 made of one pieceand pivotally supported on pins 21 secured to the side plates 16, (Fig.The two long arms of this angle lever are positioned over thelockingplunger P and are pivoted to the U- shaped lock bolt 13 by a pinand slot connection. angle lever 20 extend upward and have pivotallyconnected thereto links 22 which have their opposite end connected tocranks 23 mounted on the ends of a shaft 24 of the lock releasing magnetM. This shaft 24 is-suitably supported inbearings formed in the twohalves of a housing 25 (Fig. 4) fastened together by bolts 26; andfastened to this shaft is a laminated Z-shaped armature 27. A U-shapedlaminated core 28 of the usual construction, provided with inwardlyextending pole pieces 28", is clamped be tween the two halvesof thehousing 25, so that the Z-shaped armature 27 is positioned between thepoles. These pole pieces 28 are provided with coils and when these-coils are energized, the armature 27 is drawn into a horizontalposition, thereby raising the lock bolt B from engagement with the dog18 on the lockin plunger 1?. The core 28, coils 29 and armature 2iconstitute in effect an electroresponsive device for releasing the'lockbolt B, and this device may be conveniently termed the lock releasingmagnet M. The construction shown and described is adaptable forefficient operation by alternating current, being designed to obviatevibration and other objectionable effects incident to the use ofalternating current for a tractive type device.

For the purpose of automatically closing the energized circuit for thelock releasing magnet M at the time a release is desired, an energy,saving orcut-out switch device ES operated by the lock plunger isprovided. Thisswitch comprises a block 30 of insulating materialsupported on the back end ofthc housing 25 of the lock releasing magnetM; a fixed spring contact 31 fastened to the under side of said block 30at one end by a, suitable binding post; and a movable resilient contactmember 32 fastened to the other end otsaid block in the same way andarranged to engag the fixed contact 81. An insulating pin 33 arranged toengage the movable contact member 32 and push the same in engagementwith the fixed contact 31, is supported on the end oi an operating lever34, which has its other end pivotally supported on a pin 35 fastened inside plates of the main frame or casing F. This operating levercomprises two parallel side portions having downwardly extending ears 36in which is pivotally mounted a roller 37. The roller 37 rides on thetop of the locking plunger P, and the upper The two short arms of thedouble face of the locking plunger P is provided with spaced notches 38and 38 to receive the roller 37, said notches being of sufficient depthto allow the movable contact member 32 to open the circuit through thelock releasing magnet. These notches 38 and 38' are so spaced that theroller 37 is positioned u enclosed by a hood comprising suitable thereinwhen the locking plunger P is in its extreme positions. The lockingplunger P, even though the lock bolt B is in its lower position, may bemoved a short distance to bring the roller 37 out of the notch, andthereby close the contacts and permit the lock releasing magnet M to beenergized if the circuit is otherwise completed. lVhen th lockingplunger P is moved to'either ezo treme position, the roller 37 drops inone of the notches 38 and opens the contacts to break the circuitthrough the lock releasing magnet M, thereby economizing in the energyused for releasing the look.

In connection with the electric lock proper, embodying this invention, 1also provide a simple circuit controller C of the rotary type, operatedby the movement of the locking plunger. Since this circuitcontrollerfollows the movement of the lever, it can be used forgoverning the operation of power operated switches, signals, or thelike, or may be used for selecting signal circuits, indication circuits,or for any other desired purpose. This controller comprises a shaft 39supported in suitable bearing brackets fastened to the main frame orcasing, and on the shaft are interchangeably mounted a plurality of drumsections 40 of insulating material having conducting seg ments 41attached thereto. These drum sections are adjustably secured to theshaft in any suitable or well-known manner, so that they may bepositioned with respect to the shaft to close or open the circuit at anypredetermined position of the shaft The drum sections are manufacturedwith different length of segments; and by using drum sections havingcontact segments of the .de-'

sired length and by adjusting these sectionsabout the shaft, acontroller for every application of the electric lock may be built upwith a very few number of different parts. Adjacent to and extendingunderneath the drum is a terminal board 42 of insulating materialprovided with two or more spring contact fingers 43 for each drumsection, so that the contact segments may bridge their respective pairsof contact fingers. 1 v

The end of the shaft 39 remote from the lock releasing magnet M isprovided with a crank 44 to which is pivotally connected a connectingrod T5, which has its other end pivotally connected toa U-shapedoperating slide 46 which rides in recesses similar to those of'the lockbolt B. This operating slide 46 straddles thelocking plunger P and isprovided with a pin carrying a roller 47 primary movement, causing theenergy said plunger, thereby causing the circuit controller drum to beturned at times during the movement of the plunger P, depending on theparticular shape of the cam slot 48.

This lock and its mechanism is entirely arched end castings l9 connectedtogether by sheet iron 49* or the like, one of said castings beingnotched to provide clea 'auce for the conduit outlet 50. This hood fitsover the base and isheld thereto by suitable fastening means, such asthe hasp-SO and staple 51 shown.

When direct current is used for. the lock releasing magnet M, theconstruction shown inl igs. 9 and 10 may be employed. In thisconstruction the angle lever 20 is provided .nearfthe ends "of theupwardly extending arms with a soft iron armature 52. Cooperating. withthe armature 52 is a pair of cores 53 mounted on the angle bracket 54,

which is supported on th f'main frame or casing, and each of these coresis provided witha magnet coil 55. The two types of lock releasingmagnets have interchangeable attaching means and one may be substitutedfor the other at any time if desired.

Fig. 2 illustrates in a diagrammatic way the-principal operating partsof the lock, and showsv it used as a track circuit controlled detectorlock. Used in this way, the lock prevents movement of the lever when thedetector track circuit, associated with the switch operated by thatlever, is 'occu V pied. The well-known detectortrack circuit lSSllOWllconventionally and comprises a track battery 56 connected across therails near one end of the track section, and a track relay Y connectedacross the rails at the opposite end of the track section, sothat therelay Y is shunted out by'a train on. the track section, thereby causingthe armature of the relay to drop and open the circuit through the frontcontact 57. The coils 29 of the lock releasing magnet M are connected ina circuit energized from a suitable source ofcurrent (illustrated as atransformer T, since the'particular construction of the. magnet shown isone specially designed to be operated by alternating current). Thiscircuit, which may be readily traced on the drawing, includes a frontcontact 57 of the track relay Y, and the con tacts 31 and 32 of theenergy saving cut-out switch ES.

Assuming the locking plunger P to'be in the normal position shown, as itis moved to the right toward the reverse position, it may only be moveda short distance until the dog 18 engages the lock bolt B. The roller 37is raised from the notch 38 by this saving switch ES to be closed; andif the track circuit is not occupied, the energizing circuit for thelock releasing magnet M will be established. When this magnet isenergized, the Z-armature 27 will be attracted, thereby rocking theangle lever 20 and raising the lock bolt 13 up so that the lockingplunger P can be moved to its extreme reverse position. When the plungerP nearly reaches its. reverse position, the guide cam 19 with. itsinclined or beveled end engages the upper edge of the lock bolt B,forcing it down behind the dog 18 in position to lock the plunger Pagainst return movement; also, the energy saving switch 3:2 will. againbe opened by the roller 37, riding into the other notch. 38 when theplunger is shifted'to its full reverse position. If the track circuitshould be occupied, the lock releasing magnet M will not be energized,and the plunger P can not be moved beyond the point where the dog 18engages the lock bolt B. When the lever is moved in the oppositedirection, the operation is similar, and its description is not thoughtnecessary. Since the lock bolt B is positively forced into position toengage the dog by the guide cam 19 each time the plunger P is shifted,proper locking of the plunger is assured regardless of friction betweenthe parts. This feature not only makes the lock njiore positive andreliable in its performance, but also permits the lock to be mountedvertically or in an inclined position as conditions require.

lVhile the lock embodying the invention is shown in Fig. 2, ascontrolled by detector track circuit, it may be controlled by one ormore track circuits to provide the desired control of the lock for routeor approach looking, or for any other suitable form of track circuitcontrolled locking. Also, direct current may be used for operating thelocks, well as alternating current, but it is preferred to use the formof lock releasing magnet shown in Figs. 9 and 10 if direct current isused.

The lock embodying the invention may also be used as either a normal orreverse indication lock, or both, by arranging and )ro oortionin thecarts So that the en 'aee- {a l. b o

ment of the lock dog with the lock bolt B occurs at the desired positionin the movement of the locking plunger P. If the indication current isgiven by a battery, or other source of supply, so that it continues toflow through the lock releasing magnet M until the lever L is operatedto take advantage of the indication release, either the alternatingcurrent or direct current type of releasing magnets may be employed.

When it is desired to use the lock with a signal. lever as an indicationlock for the normalposition of the lever, the guide cam 19 is formed'asshown in Fig. 14. Fig; 14

shows the plunger P in the reverse position, corresponding to the clearposition of the signal. When the lever is shifted to put the signal inthe normal or stop position, the plunger P moves to the right, as viewedin Fig. 14, to the point where the dog 18 engages the lock bolt B. Thisprevents the signal lever L from being moved further to release themechanical interlocking until the lock releasing .magnet M is energizedto raise the bolt B clear of the dog 18 If the signal coupled to thelever in question has properly responded and as sumed its stop position,the indi ation current supplied from any suitable source over any one ofthe well-known types or forms of indication circuits, by energizing thelock releasing magnet M, raises the bolt P) and allows the movement oithe lever to be completed, whereupon the parts assume the po-' sitionshown in Fig. 15. If the lock is to beused with a switch lever as anindication lock, for both the normal and reverse positions of the lever,the guide cam is also provided at its opposite end with the beveled camedge to force the lock bolt to its locked position.

Figs. 11 to 13 illustrate a modified construction of the lock dog bywhich the electric lock is adapted for use as an indication lock indynamic indication systems. In a dynamic indication system, theindication current, usually generated by the rotation of the operatingmotor, flows only momentarily; and in-order that the operator may takeadvantage of this indication current at any convenient time, after ithas been received, it is desirable to provide a latch or detent devicefor holding the lock bolt in its unlocked position after once unlockedby the indication current. In the particular construction illustrated,the loclr dog 59 is provided. with a longitudinal recess 60 in which alatch or detent 61 is slidably supported. This latch 61 is provided witha longitudinal slot in which is a pin 62 fastened to the dog 59'. Thelatch 61 is also bored lengthwise to form a housing for a long coiledcompression spring 63, having one end engaging an end of the slot, andthe other end engaging the latch guiding pin 62, thereby forcing thelatch or detent 61 outwardly to the position shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

The particular arrangement shown in Fig. 11 is intended to be used inconnection with a signal lever, the'parts being shown in the cationposition, power is applied to the signal, either electrically by theoperation of the circuit controller C, or in any other suitable way. Ifthe signal mechanism operates properly, and the signal'assumes thenormal or stop position, the indication current generated dynamically atthe completion of the operating cycle of the mechanism, energizes thelock releasing magnet M and raises the normal position. When the lever Lis sub sequently put back to its reverse position, the beveled end ofthe guide cam 19 forces the lock bolt B down to the position shown,-

' ready for the next movement of the leverto its normal position.Obviously, the same modified construction of the lock dog may beemployed to provide indication looking for both the normal and reversepositions of the lever. In this discussion no particular form of powercontrol of the signal or switch has been considered, since this may:

take any one of the well-known forms.

In Fig. 16, provision is made so that the. lock may be used, both, as atrack circuit controlled lock and as an indication lock. The lockingplunger in this instance is connected to any well-known form'of lever,such, for instance, as shown in Fig. 1, which controls the electricswitch machine SM, presumably a part of an otherwise mechanicalinterlocking plant. The'plunge'r is provided with two dogs 59 and 59like the oneshown in Fig, 11, having their spring pressed latches 61 and61 facing each other. The guide cam 19 is similar to the ones alreadydescribed, but also has an intermediate beveled projection 64 to forcethe lock bolt down when the plunger P moves to its intermediate orindicating positions, the same as the beveled edges 96 at theend of theguide cam 19 force the lock bolt-down in the extreme normal and reversepositions of the plunger. The plunger P is provided with a long camslot48 arranged in four steps, corresponding to the four positions ofthe plunger, namely normal, normalindication, reverse indication andreverse; and the roller 47 in these four POSltlCI1S lI1EllCElt8Cl by thereference characters n, ml, 12' andir, respectively) shifts thecontroller crumto four corresponding positions. v f 1 The generalorganization ofzthe Y typical system illustrated in' Fig. 16 comprisesan electrically operated switch machine SM, shown diagrammatically andcomprising a l series motor provided with a controller which theconnection of the armia back ture 65 with respect to thefield 66 andalso the connection of the armature 65 from re verse operating Wire R tothe normal wire N, or vice versa', as the case may be, when the switchhas been operated; a detector track circuit (the relay Y only beingshown), a circuit controller C operatively connected to the lockingplunger; a lock releasing magnet "with its energy saving switch ES, anda battery.

Assuming the switch and lever L to be in the normal position, the partsare in-the position shown in Fig. '16, theplunger P being in-its extremeleft or normal position, with the roller 37 of the energy saving deviceES resting in one oi the notches (not shown). hen the operator desiresto reverse the switch, he shifts the lever, slightly moving the lockingplunger P to the right to the point where thedog 59 engages the lockbolt B and prevents further operation of theplunger until thebolt isreleased. During this movement the roller 37 of the energy saving deviceis moved out of the notch closing the energy saving switch 32. Duringthis movement the circuit controller drum 6? is not moved from itsinitial position. If the track circuit (not shown) 'adjacent to switchis not occupied, the track relay Y is energized, and the lock releasingmagnet M is energized by a circuit which may be traced from the battery68, wire 81, through the front contact 57 of the track 'relay Y, wire'69, contact finger 70, drum segment 71,1contactfinger'72,wire 73,contact finger 7 wire 75, lock releasing magnet -'M, wire 76, energysaving, switch 32, eta..-

tionary contactgl, wire 77, wire 78, and to thefhattery 68. Currentflowing through this circuit will raise the leckbolt B permitting thelocki plunger P to be loo movedto the right imtil the [dog'59 en gagesthe lock bolt B and compresses the spring of the latch or detent61 ofthe dog 59 but preventing further movement of the locking plunger.

During this movement, the roller l? in the cam slot will have moved tothe position marked m in the cam slot 48 and the circuit controlleddrum' 67 will have'moved in the direction of the arrow so that thecontacts'79 and 80 bridge their respective contact fingers This willcomplete a circuit for operating the switch machine mo tor, which may btraced as follows:-

80, contact finger 83,-wire R, terminal 84,

89, movable contact 90 terminal '91, wire '92, fieldwinding 66, wire 77,wire 78', [and back. to the 'hatterytS. 'Tlii's circuit will the switchmachine SM throw the switch starting at the bat-tery 68, through thefeed wire 81-, contact finger 82, contact segment" 1 allow currenttofiow through the motor of i U into the opposite position; and whenthis operation has been Completed, the movable contacts 85 and 90 willbe thrown to bridge the terminals 93 and 88, and 87 and 9%,respectively. The switch machine controller is now positioned toestablish an indication circuit which may be traced as follows zstartingwith the armature of the motor to the terminal 88, movable contact 85,terminal, 93, wire N, cont-act finger 95, controller segment 79, contactfinger 96, wire 97, wire 75, lock releasing magnet M, wire 76, energysaving switch 32, stationary contact 31, common return wire 77, motorfield .66, terminal 94:, movable contact 90, terminal 87, and back tothe armature.

The armature 65 of the motor is rotating due to its acquired momentum,and when the indication circuit-just traced is established with thearmature and field connections reversed, the residual magnetism in thefield causes the motor to act as a series generator and produce atemporary flow of indication current, continuing so long as the armatureot' the motor is rotating. This current flowing through the circuit justtraced, energizes the lock releasing magnet M and draws the lock bolt Bup, causing the latch 61 to slip under the bolt, and hold it in raisedposition. The lever L may now be shifted to the full reverse position,actuating the mechanical locking in the usual way to release otherassociated levers.

When the locking plunger P is moved to' lock bolt B down into its lockedposition,

and the roller 37 of the energy saving device will be positioned intheother notch (not shown) provided in the locking plunger, therebyopening the switch oi the energy saving device ES. hen the lockingplunger P is in this position, the con tact segment 99 (shown in dottedlines) will bridge the contact fingers 7 0 and 7 2, therebv placing thelock releasing circuit in condition for moving the locking plunger fromthe reverse to the normal position.

From the foregoing, it will be observed, that in the normal and thereverse positions of the locking plunger P, the front contact 57 of thetrack relay Y will be connected in series with the lock releasing magnetM the energy saving switch 32, battery 68,

:while in either of the other positions the .front contact 57 ofthetrack relay Y is not connected in any circuit as is apparent from thedrawing. When the locking plunger P is in either of its intermediatepositions, that is, the normal indication or reverse indication-,thelock releasing magnet will be connected to the particularwire N or R,over which the dynamic indication current will be received."

It will be'noted that in moving fro'm'the normal position to the:reverse indication position, the controller drum 67 passes through theposition in which the contact segments 100 and 101 bridge theirrespective contact fingers, but no current will flow during such timebecause the circuit established has no source of current in it.

The operation of this device from the reverse to the normal position issubstantially the same as the one just desc -ibed.'

The electric lock forming the subject mat-- ter of this application hasa very wide application in railway signaling. It is interchangeablyconstructed so that it may read ily be applied to any one of the varioususes hereinbefore enumerated. The inter changeable features summed upbriefly, con sistfof a two-part housing with the necessary recesses,which is easily assembled and disassembled to facilitate interchangingthe various locking plunger-s; -a lock bolt, controller mounting,controller operating mechanism, energy saving device and cover whichconstitutes the basic mechanism for tant trafiic controlling mechanism,or both as hereinbet'ore'pointed out, and the particular electric lockreleasing mechanism Opel? able as the source of current available.Therefore, by having the basic lock mechanism and each of theinterchange-able 1 in stock, the consumer would be equipped to meet anyone of the various problems which he may expect to encounter, withoiiita great deal of expense in stocked parts; and likewise the manufacturerneed not be stocked up so' heavily in the various dis tribution centers,to meet the demands of his customers.

While several specific embodiments of the invention. have been shown anddescribed, together with different organizations or combinations ofparts to adapt the lock to various uses, it should be understood thatthese speclfic constructlons are merely 1llustrative, and that variousother adaptations comprising, a slidable'locking plunger, a

iao

bolt straddling the plunger and rigidly ported and guided by saidmembers or the casing for cooperating with the plunger.

at. An electric lock for mechanical levers comprising, a two-partcasing, a slidable plunger guided by the casing, a dog fastened to theplunger, a bolt for engaging the dog,

unitary electro-responsive device detachably fastened to the two partsof the casing, and means operatively connecting the bolt and theelectro-responsive .device.

5. An electric lock for mechanical levers comprising a lock bolt, anangle lever connected to the bolt, and electro-niagnetic means havingZ-armature for rocking the angle lever.

. 6. An electric lock for mechanical levers, comprising a casing, alocking plungerslidably mounted in said casing and having a shoulder, alock bolt for engaging said shoulder, and a double angle lever pivotallysupported and straddling said shoulder, said angle lever having one pairof arms pivotal- 1y attached to said lock bolt, and means for operatingthe angle lever to raise the bolt out of its locked position; 7 4

7. An electric lock for mechanical levers comprising, two counter-partmembers bolted together to form a recessed casing to receive the lockingmechanism, a conduit outlet attached to the counter-part members at oneend of the casing, and a hood extending over said casing to protect themechanism. I

8. The combination of alever of a mechanical interlocking plant forrailways, an electric lock comprising a locking member having a cutawayportion and connected directly to said lever, a'lock dog fastened insaid cutaway portion, a lock bolt cooper ating with said lock dog tohold the samein locked position, said member and bolt being ofsufiicient strength to withstand the force that can be applied theretoby the lever. i

9. In an electric lock for the levers of lock dog, and means associatedwith said plunger for forcingsaidlock bolt into en, gagement with saidlock-dog. i

10. An electric lock 'for mechanical levers,

comprising a. locking member'having a p015 tion thereof cut away, a lockdog screw fastened in said cutaway portion, alocl: bolt for engagingsaid loci; dog, electro-respon- SlXG means for releasing said lock bolt,and a retainer anchored at both ends to the plunger and extending oversaid lock bolt to force it into locking position. I

11. An electric-lock for mechanical levers ccnrprising, a slidableplunger directly connected to the lever and provided with a lockingshoulder, a U-shaped bolt straddling); the plunger and adapted to engagesaid shoulder, and a guide cam fastened to the plunger and acting toforce the bolt into position to engage the. shoulder as the plunger isshifted. r

' 12. An electric lock comprising, a slid able locking plunger providedwith a dog, a lock. bolt to engage said dog, and a springpressed detentprojecting from the end of said dog to hold the lock bolt in raisedposition, so that the locking plungermay be moved at any time after thelock bolt has been raised.

13. An electric lock for mechanical levers, comprising a slidablelocking'plunger having locking shoulders, a lockboltadapted to engageeither of said shoulders, electro-responsive means for releasing saidlock bolt, and a spring-pressed detent projecting from one of saidshoulders, said spring pre ssed detent being adapted'to maintain the dogout of engagement with the corresponding shoulder after suchdisengagement has been elfected. 7

14. In an electric look, a plunger, a dog fastenedto the plunger, adetent associated with the dog, and spring meansfor projecting saiddete-nt from one end of the dog. A

15. In an electric lock, the combination with a slidable plunger and alock dog tas-- tened thereto, a bolt for engaging one end of the dog,and means supported and guided by the dog for holding the bolt out ofengagement therewith when such disengage,

ment has been effected.

16. An electric lock forswitch levers,a slidab-le locking plunger havinga plurality of locking shoulders, a spring detent for each shoulder, alock bolt arranged to engage said shoulders, an electro-magnet forreleasing said lock bolhdynamic indication means for energizing saidmagnet. and a guide cam for forcing said lock bolt in po sition toengage one .ofsaid shoulders in each of its locked positions. c

17. An electric lock for signal levers, a

slidable locking plunger having a' locking lock bolt, dynamic indicationmeans for v energizingsaidmagnet and a guide cam for forcing saidloekbolt in position to engage said shoulder.

18. An oblong lever lock comprising, a casing, a plunger guidedlengthwise in the casing, a bolt for locking the plunger,electro-n1agnetic means at one end of the casing for releasing the bolt,and circuit controlling with shoulders, a lock bolt for engaging saidshoulders, a cam slot in one end of said plunger, a clrcuit controllersupported over said cam slot and operated thereby, and anelectro-responsive means mounted overthe other end of the casing andadjacent said controller for releasin said lock bolt.

20. A lever lock comprising, a plunger, a

bolt for locking said plunger in any one of various positions, a casingfor supporting and guiding the plunger and bolt, electroits oppositeend, and a protecting'hoodfor said parts.

21. An electric lock for mechanical levers, comprising a casing, alocking plunger slidably mounted in said casing and having a shoulder, alock bolt to engage said shoulder, an electro-responsive device attachedto the casing over the plunger near one end of the'casing, a circuitcontroller disposed lengthwise over the plunger and attached to thecasing near its other end, and an angle lever having one arm eXtendingbetween the controller and plunger and attached to said lock bolt, theother end of said lever extending between said electroresponsive deviceand controller, and actuated by said electro-responsive device to raisethe lock bolt and thereby release said plunger.

22. In an electric lock for the leversof mechanical interlockingmachines having lever locking, comprising, a .locking plunger having alocking shoulder, a lock bolt arranged to engage said shoulder,electromagnetic means for releasing said lock bolt,

and an energy saving device actuated by said plungerto cut oil theenergy from said means at a predetermined position of the plunger.

electric lock "for mechanical levers, acasing, a locklng membersupportgage said shoulder, electro-responsive means,

to raise said lock bolt, an energy saving de vice comprising a switch,and means for operating said switch provided with a roller riding onsaid locking member and adapted to engage said deformed portion to openthe circuit to said electro-responsive device when the lever is in oneof its extreme positions.

24:. In an electric 100.: having a locking plunger and anelectro-magnetic lock releasing means, means operated automatically bythe movement of the plunger for governing the supply of current to saidmeans.

25. An electric lever lock having a movable locking element andelectro-magnetic releasing means therefor, an energizing circuit for themeans, and automatic means operated by the movement of said lockingelement for opening and closing said circuit.

26. In an interlocking system, the COl11bl'. nation with a lever, alocking plunger connected to said'lever, a controller drum rotatedintermittently by a continuous movement of the plunger, a lock for saidplunger, and electrical means for releasing said lock.

27. The combination of a lever of a mechanical, interlocking plant forrailways provided with means for operating a distant traflic controllingdevice mechanically, an electric lock connected directly to said lever,comprising a slidable locking plunger, a lock bolt for locking saidplunger, electro-responsive means for releasing said lock bolt, and acircuit controller operated directly by said plunger for cutting energyoff of said electro-responsive means in certain positions of saidplunger.

28. An electric lever lock comprising, av plunger having a cam slottherein, a rotary circuit controller, and means cooperating with saidcam slot foroperating the circuit controller in accordance with themovement of the plunger.

29. Ina mechanical interlocking plant for operating traflic controllingdevices, a plurality of levers, one of said levers being provided withmeans for operating a distant traffic controlling device electrically, alock connected directly to said lever, electro-responsive means forreleasing said lock, and a controller operated directly by said lockfor-controlling saiddistant traffic controlling device.

30. In a mechanical interlocking plant for operating switches andsignals mechanically, an electric lock including a looking plungeroperatively connected directly. to one of said levers, a lock for saidplunger, a controller operated directly by said plungerfor controlling adistant traffic cont-rolling device, and indication means to releasesaid lock after the distant traffic controlling device has beenoperated. 7

31. In a mechanical interlocking plant for operating traffic controllingdevices,"'a

plurality of levers, one of said levers being provided with an electriclock connected directly thereto, said lock comprising a lock ing memberhaving a shoulder, a lock bolt arranged to engage said shoulder, anelectro-responsive means for releasing said bolt, and a track circuitcontrolled relay for controlling said electro-responsive device.

32. The combination of a lever of a mechanical interlocking plant forrailways, an electric lock connected directly to said lever, andcomprising a slidable locking plunger, a lock bolt for locking saidplunger, electro-responsive means for releasing said lock bolt, adistant traffic controlling device, a plurality of circuits forcontrolling the electro-responsive means, and a controller operateddirectly by said plunger for alternately comiecting saidelectro-responsive means to said circuits and for controlling saiddistant devlce.

33. The comoinatlon of a lever of a mechanical interlocking plant forrailways, an

electric lock connected directly to said lever and comprising a slidablelocking plunger, a lock bolt for locking said plunger, electroresponsivemeans for releasing said lock bolt, a plurality of circuits foractuating said electro-responsive means, a distant power operatedtraflic controlling device; and a controller operated directly by saidplunger for alternatelyconnecting said electro-responsive means to saidcircuits and for controlling said distant traflic controlling device.

3L-In an interlocking system, the combin-ation with a lever, a lockingplunger connected to said lever, a lock for said plunger,electro-responsive means for releasing said lock, a circuit adapted tobe connected to a .continuously present source of potential, a dynamicindication circuit, and a circuit controller operatively connected tosaid plunger for alternately connecting said circuits to saidelectro-responsive means in the different positions of the plunger.

35. An electric lock for the levers of mechanical interlocking machineshaving lever locking comprising a slidable look ing plunger providedwith shoulders for locking the plunger in four different positions, alock bolt arranged to engage said shoulders, electro-responsive meansfor releasing said lock bolt, and a controllenfor said responsive meansoperated intermittently four successive times by the continuous movementof said plunger from one to the other of its extreme position.

36. An electric lock for the levers of mechanical interlocking machineshaving lever locking comprising means provided with shoulders to locksaid lever in 'four different positions, a lock arranged to engage saidshoulders, a controller having for alternately connecting said circuitsto' said electro-magnetic means in the several locked positions of theplunger.

38. An electric lock for mechanicallevers comprising, a locking memberhaving shoulders, a lock bolt for engaging said shoulders, a magnet forreleasing said lock bolt, a track circuit controlled circuit, dynamicindication circuits, and a circuit controller operatively connected tosaid locking memher for connecting either a dynamic indication circuitor a track circuit controlled circuit to said magnet in the severallocking positions of the member,

39. In combination, an electric lock comprising a locking member havingshoulders and directly connected to a lever of an interlocking machine,a lock for engaging said shoulders, an electro-responsive device forraising said lock, a track circuit, a relay in said track circuit, acircuit controlled by said relay and including a source of energy forcontrolling said electron'esponsive device, a distant trafficcontrolling device having indication circuits for also con-- trollingsaid-electro-responsive device, and a controller for operating saidtrafiic controlling device and also for alternately connecting onecircuit andthen the other circuit tosaid electro-responsive device.

40. An electric lock comprising, a locking member, having normal andreverse locking positions and an indication position, a shoulder on saidmember for each or" said positions, a latch for engaging said shoulders,an electro-responsive device for operating said latch, a dynamicindication circuit, another indication circuit which is trackrelay-controlled, and a circuit controller operated by said member foralternately connecting the dynamic indication circuit and said anotherindication circuit to said electro-responsive device.

41. An electric lock comprising, a locking member having normal andreverse locking positions and indication positions, a shoulder for eachof said positions, the shoulders of said indication positions beingprovided with detents, track relay controlled circuits including asource of energy, dynamic indication circuits, and a controller operatedby said member for selecting the proper circuit for each of said lockingpositions.

.42. An interchangeable electric lock comprising, a casing provided witha recess, a lock bolt, a locking plunger adapted to have attachedthereto dogs and guide cams of various configurations and adapted toslide in said recess, a movable member connected to said bolt,electro-responsive devices adapted to be operated on various sources ofenergy supply and constructed to be at tached to said casing foractuating said movable member, a circuit controller having a drumcomprlsing a plurality of adjustable and interchangeable sections, andmeans for operating said circuit controller by the looking plunger.

43. In a mechanical interlocking plant for operating railway trafficcontrolling devices, the combination of a lever, an electric lock forlocking said lever comprising a casing, a locking plunger in said casingmechanically connected to said lever, electro-1nagnetically releasedmeans for locking the plunger, an energy saving switch in the energizingcircuit of said electro-magnetic means, and means operated by initialmovement of said locking plunger for operating said energy savingswitch.

44. An electric lock chanical interlocking plants for railways adaptedto be operatively connected to a lever by a single connecting link andincluding electro-magnetic means which if deenergized will lock said"lever, and means for cutting energy off of said electro-magnetic meanswhen said link is in either of its extreme positions.

45. In a mechanical interlocking plant for operating switches andsignals from a distance mechanically, the combination with a pluralityof levers, of a connecting link con- 7 nected to one of said levers, andmeans connected to said link for controlling a distant trafficcontrolling device electrically comprising, a locking plunger,electro-magnetic means for locking said plunger if deenergized, anenergy saving switch connected in series with said electro-magneticmeans, and a circuit controller actuated in accordance with the movementof said plunger for operating said distant traific controlling device.

v 46. In an electric lock, the combination of two counterpart memberswhich'if assembled form a casing having a recess, of a locking plungerhaving a portion thereof cut away to form a notch and slidably supportedin said recess, a lock dog detachably fastened in the notch of saidplunger, a lock bolt adapted to .be engaged by said .dog to preventfurther movement of said dog, and means detachably connected to saidplunger for forcing said lock bolt to its operative position.

for levers of me 47. An electric lock for locking levers of railway'traflic controlling devices comprising, a casing having a recess, alocking plunger slidably supported in said recess and provided with adeformed portion, a shoulder on said plunger, a lock bolt cooperatingwith said shoulder, electro-magnetic means for actuating the lock bolt,and means adapted to cooperate with the deformed portion of said plungerfor at times cutting energy from said electro-magnetic means.

48. An electric lock for railway ,traflic controllingapplianoescomprising, a locking plunger having a recess and a locking shoulder, alock bolt for cooperating with the locking shoulder, electro magneticmeans 'for actuating said lock bolt, and an ener saving switch connectedin series with sai' electro-magnetic means and including an operatingarm provided with ;a roller adapted to ride on said locking plunger andmove into said recess.

49. An electric lock for railway trafiic controlling appliancescomprising, a locking plunger having a cam slot and .a locking shoulder,an electrically operated lock bolt cooperating with said shoulder, adrumtype circuit controller, a slide member supported for movementtransversely to the movement of the plunger, a roller carried by saidmember and disposed in the cam slot of the plunger, and means forcausing rotary movement of said circuit controller {2y transversemovement of said slide mem- 50. An electric lock for railway trafiiccontrolling devices comprising two counter-part members bolted togetherto form a recessed casing, a locking plunger slidably supported in therecess of said casing and haV-in locking shoulder, a lock bolt slidablysupported for movement transverse to the movement of the lockingplunger, a guide cam fastened to said locking plunger for actuating saidlock bolt to its active position upon movement of the locking plunger toits locked position, and means fastened to opposite sides of said lockbolt for actuating said lock bolt to the unlocked position.

51. An electric lock for railway trafiic controlling devices comprising,a locking plunger having a locking shoulder, a U-shaped lock boltslidably supported for movement transversely to the movement of theplunger and adapted to have the closed endthereof engage the lockingshoulder, a uide cam fastened to said locking plunger for actuating saidlock bolt to its locking position upon movement of the locking plungerto its locked position, and means fastened to opposite sides of saidU-shaped lock belt for actuating said lock bolt to the unlockedposition.

52. An electric lock for railway trafic controlling devices comprising,a locking plunger having a locking shoulder, a U-shaped to its lockedposition, and pivotally suplock bolt guided for movement transverseported means having a pin and slot connecto the movement of the lockingplunger and tion to said lock bolt for actuating the lock 10 arranged toengage said shoulder, a guide bolt to its unlocked position.

cam fastened to said locking plunger for In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature. actuating said lock bolt to its locking position uponmovement of the locking plunger JAMES E. STEPHENSON.

